PM Imran Khan slams SCBA’s plea against lifetime disqualification

BAHAWALPUR/DERA GHAZI KHAN: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday criticised a petition of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) filed against the lifetime disqualification of Nawaz Sharif and said it is beyond his comprehension why a thief is trying to get relief through this forum.

"They [SCBA] are asking the court to give him [Nawaz Sharif] one more chance. SCBA's next petition should be to open [the doors] of all the jails," he said sarcastically while addressing the launch ceremony of the Sehat Insaf Card in the Bahawalpur division.

He said it is no justice that a poor man is imprisoned for a petty crime while rich robbers are given ‘NRO’. Attacking former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the premier said that both the sons of the PML-N supremo are "sitting in London on properties worth billions."

“London is the most expensive city in Europe and their homes are located in London’s most expensive area. He has sent his kids abroad. When you ask the three-time prime minister how his kids accumulated billions, he says to ask the kids and when you ask them, they say that they are not Pakistani citizens,” said PM Imran.

Turning his guns towards Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, PM Imran said that the "whole world would be in shock if they see that a person earning Rs10,000 in Shahbaz Sharif’s son’s sugar mill has Rs4 billion in his name."

“When you go into details you will find out why our country could not reach the place it should have been. If you let a dacoit sit in a factory, then it will go bankrupt,” said the premier. The premier claimed that in every poor country, a “dacoit” is made in charge who then steals the country’s wealth and takes it abroad.

“Till a nation does not unite to fight [against wrongdoing], the rule of law will not prevail. Our struggle is against bandits,” said PM Imran. Speaking about the SBCA, PM Imran claimed that the lawyers’ body will go to court and request it to give another chance to a person who left the country by lying.

“If you [SBCA] do not see any fault in him then why have you put the poor in jail? You should free them first. Supreme Court bar should file the next petition to open all jails in Pakistan. He claimed that the Naya Pakistan Qaumi Health Card Programme is unique in its nature as no parallel of it exists even in European countries where people have to pay their health insurance money. He claimed that this programme will revolutionise the country’s health system as none of the past governments had spent Rs400 billion to provide free health services to the entire country.

While commenting on the criticism of the media and the opposition for terming his government incompetent, he referred to reports of two international journals -- The Economist and Bloomfield -- which termed Pakistan one of the three economically prospering countries whose economies sustained in the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis across the globe.

The prime minister said it is corruption not poverty or lack of resources that destroyed the economy. He claimed that he would fulfil all his promises made to people of South Punjab and would soon inaugurate the Secretariat of South Punjab in Bahawalpur.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar inaugurated 15 development schemes worth billions of rupees for Dera Ghazi Khan. He inaugurated three projects of Rs62.60 crore at the Circuit House that include a protective embankment to save the adjoining localities from river erosion, the Ghajini escape project and a protective embankment worth Rs41.80 crore on the right side of the Sindh river. He inaugurated the Pull Dot Chowk Beautification Project of Rs1.78 crore along with the inauguration of Shehr-e-Khamoshan, Model Graveyard, Kotla Sikhani, Gharbi DG Khan having a value of Rs 19 crore. The CM laid the foundation stone of 12 projects of Rs 9 billion for DG Khan including a mother and child hospital valuing Rs 2.10 billion, construction of 133-km roads through Koh-e-Suleman improvement project worth Rs 2.12 billion and building of Emergency and OPD Block in the DG Khan Teaching Hospital worth Rs 1.91 billion. An Academic Block will be built with Rs 1 billion in the Ghazi University DG Khan. As many as Rs 16 crore will be spent on establishing the Government Associate Boys College DG Khan. The Ghazi Park DG Khan will be restored with Rs 3 crore while Rs 11.80 crore will be spent on providing facilities in the Synthetic Turf Hockey Ground. Rs 39.60 crore will be spent on restoring the Shoria Dhingana and Darkhaast System of the Irrigation Department while a dual road from Pull Dot to Railway Phatak will be constructed with Rs 39.29 crore. Restoration of the Tehsil Complex will be completed with Rs 5 crore. Rs 15 crore will be spent on completing the District Education Complex while Rs 63.61 crore will be spent on constructing a Police Training School.

Later, the CM was briefed about development schemes at a meeting held at the Commissioner's Office in DG Khan where he made it clear that delay in the completion of development schemes is intolerable. He directed that transparency should be ensured and no compromise will be made on the quality of development projects. “I am personally monitoring the development schemes,” he said and pointed out that South Punjab has been given more resources than before. The public money will be spent on public welfare and officers should fulfil their responsibility in this regard.

The CM expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the DG Khan Solid Waste Management Company and regretted that unnecessary delay was made in the procurement of required machinery despite the provision of funds. A report should be presented by identifying those responsible for the delay in this regard, he added.

He expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work on some development schemes under the DG Khan Development Package and made it clear that officers should give results as he means business. The South Punjab secretary should go to the field to review the projects and vacant posts in the DG Khan Teaching Hospital should be filled immediately, he said.